Straightening and bending machine.



No. 673,99l.

Patented may l4, |9o|.

(Application filed June 11, 1900.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I (No Model.)

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Patented May I4, l90l. G. l. ALDEN.

STRAIGHTENING AND BENDING MACHINE.

(Application filed June 11, 1900.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

c] c ov llNTTEE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE I. ALDEN, WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE PLUNGERELEVATOR COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

STRAIGHTENING AND BENDING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 673,991, dated May 14,1901.

Application filed June 11, 1900.

To to whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE I. ALDEN, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and a resident of the city and county of Worcester,Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Straightening and Bending Machines, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to a hydraulic press mechanism which in theparticular use to which I have adapted it in the mechanism hereinafterdescribed has for its object the straightening or bending of lengths ofpipe, rods of iron and steel, or work of like character.

The invention consists in the device hereinafter described, andparticularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying two sheets of drawings, in which like charactersdenote like parts, Figure lis a side elevation ofthe machine. Fig. 2 isa side elevation with the toggle-arms of one cylinder broken off and thecylinder removed, and Fig. 3 is a section taken through one of thecylinders.

The rod or pipe to be operated upon by bending or straightening isplaced on the supporting-blocks 11 and 12, which in the instance shownare curved to conform with the surface of the pipe. These blocks aremounted on the supporting-table 13, which comprises the body portion 14,supported on two pairs of two-wheeled trucks 15 16. These trucks areadapted to fit and run along the rails 17, laid on the floor. Outside ofthe rails 17 and parallel therewith are laid rails 18, which areprovided for the double truck or press carriage 21, having two Wheels,as 19 and 20, on each truck. The carriage 21 is extended, as at 22 23,on one side of the car 13 and provided with wheels 24 25, and to theends of the extensions to the journals of the wheels are connected thestays 26 27 to the fixed cross'head of the press mechanism. Thiscarriage 21 barely clears the under side of the body 14 of the car 13,allowing movement of each car independently of the other along thetrack, but preventing vertical movement toward each other, so that bothmay be held rigidly together when pressure is exerted by the operationof the machine.

Serial No. 19,8 3'7. (No model.)

The hydraulic press mechanism is supported from the fixed cross-head 30.This cross-head is mounted rigidly on the rods 31 32, which pass throughthe ends of the same, and is held thereon by the nuts 33 34, threaded onsaid rods. These rods are fixed vertically in the carriage 21 at theirlower ends and rigidly held by threaded nuts 35 35. Between the fixedcross-head 30 and the car 13 the movable crosshead 36 is mountedslidably on the rods 31 32, through the ends of which, at 37 38,the saidrods loosely pass. Four toggle-joint arms 40 41 42 43 are journaled at44 45 in said fixed cross-head, adapted to swing and operate below thesame. At their lower ends the two outside or separated arms 40 43 arejournaled at 46 46 to the cylinderhead 50 of the cylinder 51, and thetwo inside or adjacent arms 41 42 are similarly journaled to thecylinder-head 47 of the cylinder 48. To the lower movable cross-headfour togglejoint arms 52 53 54 55, similar to those already described,are journaled at 56 57 to and adapted to operate above the movablecrosshead 36. The inside or adjacent lower arms 53 54 are journaled at46 46 to the head of the cylinder 51, and the outside or separated arms52 are journaled similarly to the head of the cylinder 48.

The cylinders 48 and 51 are supported at their inner and adjacent heads47 50 by the toggle-arms journaled to the fixed cross-head and at theirouter ends by the links 58 59, journaled, respectively, to the outerheads 60 and 61 of the cylinders 51 and 48 at 62 63, respectively. Theselinks are made double, as shown as 58 58 in Fig. 2, and are supported bythe arms 64 65, to which they are journaled. The said arms are fastenedto the fixed cross-head and braced by the stays 66 67. The cylinders areprovided with the outer curved cylinder-heads 6O 61, through the centerof which the stoprods 72 73 are threaded. These rods are each providedwith a hand-wheel 74 75 and with set-nut wheels 76 77, respectively, tohold them in position when adjusted. A continuous piston-rod 78 enterseach cylinder and is provided on each end with a piston fitting itsrespective cylinder. A section of the cylinder 51 is shown in Fig. 3,and the cylinder 48 being similar thereto said figure will serve toillustrate the interior construction of both. The piston-rod 78 entersthe cylinder-head 50 at 79 and is provided with suitable piston-rodpacking held by the packing-ring 80. The piston 81 is fastened by meansof the nuts 82 to the piston-rod and is furnished with suitablepiston-packing, as 83.

The stop-rod '72 is threaded in the cylinderhead 60 and provided withthe hand-wheel 74 and the set-wheel 76.

The screw 85 is threaded in the movable cross-head 36 and is journaledin the pressblock 86. The said screw is provided with the hand-wheel 87.This provides a means of vertical adjustment of the press-block which isadapted to receive the pressure exerted by the hydraulic pressmechanism. Said block is made with a curved contact-surface 88 toconform with the curve of the pipe.

The pipe connections to the cylinders are made as follows: The iron-pipeelbows 90 91 are held above the fixed cross-head 30, between thepipe-supporting pieces 92 93, supported on the extensions of the rods 3231 and held rigidly by the nuts 94 95. From the elbow 90 the horizontalextension 96 is connected with the flexible pipe 97, through which thewater controlled by a valve (not shown) is admitted and discharged. Thevertical extension 98 from the elbow 90 is provided with the air-chamber99, which by the compression of the air therein prevents any unduepressure consequent on a sudden starting or stopping of the flow ofwater from being exerted on the flexible pipe and which might otherwiseburst it. From this vertical extension 98 the branches 100 and 101extend, and the flexible pipes 102 103 are connected thereto and to theelbows 104 105, communicating with the cylinders 51 48, respectively,through theirinside heads 50 47. The elbow 91 is likewise provided withextension 106, connected with flexible supply-pipe 107, and with thevertical extension 108, having the air-chamber 109. The two branches and111, connected with the flexible pipes 112 113, communicate with theconnections-114 115 in the outside heads 60 61, respectively, of thecylinders 51 48. A valve (not shown) is provided between the flexiblepipes 97 107 and the supply and discharge, which must admit of openingthe pipe 97 to the supply while opening the pipe 107 to the dischargeand also opening the pipe 107 to the supply while the pipe 97 is open tothe discharge. Afourway valve may be used for this purpose, or anordinary three-way valve may be attached to each pipe and so connectedthat the operation of one to open the discharge in one pipe will openthe supply in the other pipe, and vice versa, and in middle positionboth pipes will be closed to both discharge and supply.

For the purpose of supporting the pipe 10, so that the carriage may bemoved along beneath it, and for revolving the same, so that its bendsmay be indicated by holding a piece ters the same.

of chalk against it, a lathe apparatus is provided, the headpiece ofwhich comprises the standard 120, fastened to the floor and having thejournal-bearings 121 122, carrying the cone-pulley 123, ru n from acounter-shaft (not shown) by the belt 124, and also the center cone 125,which fits into the pipe and cen- At the opposite end the footpiececomprises the standard 126, mounted on wheels 127 to run along the track17 and to be held fixed by the holding-lever 128, working in connectionwith a holding-strip on the floor. (Not shown.) A center cone 129 isjournaled on the spindle 130, and the cone is adapted to be adjusted inand out by the handle 131 in the usual manner.

The operation of the device in straightening a piece of pipe, forexample, is as follows: The pipe is placed in the lathe apparatusbetween the centers and revolved, and the deflections or bends in thesame are indicated by holding a crayon against it. When the bends havebeen thus indicated, the pipe is rested upon the blocks on the car 13,which is run under the pipe until the center of the car is approximatelyunder the point of greatest deflection in the pipe. The centers are thenwithdrawn and the pipe allowed to rest on the blocks 12 13, with thepoint of greatest deflection uppermost. The press mechanism is thenpushed along until the block 86 is above the point of greatestdeflection. The block 86 having been adjusted by the screw 85 and thestop-rods 72 73 having been set to limit the range of motion, the valve(not shown) is operated, permitting water to enter through the pipe 97and into the cylinders through their inner heads 47 50 and to dischargewater contained in the cylinder on the opposite side of the pistonthrough the outer heads 61 60 by the pipes leading to pipe 107. Thisdraws the cylinders together, and the toggle-arms connected to them andto the fixed and movable cross-heads operate on their journals, and thelower cross-head is forced down and the block 86 is pressed against thepipe, straightening it. The stoprods limit the movement of thepress-block. When the valve is operated in the opposite direction, wateris admitted in the other ends of the piston and they are forced apartand the press-block raised.

The device may be used for bending rods or for exerting pressure for anypurpose similar to that described.

To those skilled in the art to which this invention is related changeswill be apparent which I have not attempted to describe, but which arewithin the scope of my invention.

Therefore, without being limited to the precise construction shown,whatI claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with fixed and movable cross-heads mounted over, andadapted to be moved horizontally over, an operating-table, of a pair ofhydraulic cylinders, each cylinder having a piston, a piston-rodconnecting said pistons rigidly together, toggle-joint arms connected tosaid cylinders and to the fixed and movable cross-heads respectively,means for supplying hydraulic pressure to said cylinder and means forholding said fixed cross-head rigid to said table when pressure isexerted thereon, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a movable carriage, of supporting-rods mountedthereon, a fixed cross-head mounted rigidly on said rods, a movablecross-head slidable on said rods, a double toggle-joint connecting saidcross-heads, hydraulic cylinders respectively attached to eachtoggle-joint, pistons fitted respectively to each cylinder, a piston-rodconnecting said pistons rigidly together, and means for supplyinghydraulic pressure to said cylinders, substantially as described.

3. The combination with the horizontallymoving operating-table, of theindependentlymovable carriage, supporting-rods mounted on the saidcarriage, a fixed cross-head mounted rigidly on said rods, a movablecross-head slidable on said rods, a double toggle-joint connecting saidcross-heads, hydraulic cylinders respectively attached to eachtogglejoint, pistons fitted respectively to each cylinder, a piston-rodconnecting said pistons rigidly together, and means for supplyinghydraulic pressure to said cylinder, substantially as described.

4:. The combination with horizontally-movable operating-table, of theindependently horizontally movablecarriage, a fixed crosshead "carriedby said carriage, of a movable crosshead, a double toggle-jointconnecting said cross-heads, a press'block carried by said movablecross-head, and hydraulic mechanism connected with said toggle-joint tooperate the same, substantially as described.

5. The combination with the horizontallymovable operatingtable, of anindependently horizontal, movable support extended under said table andadapted to be brought into rigid engagement therewith, of a fixedcross-head mounted on said movable support over said table, a movablecross-head mounted to reciprocate between said fixed crosshead and saidoperating-table, and operating mechanism for exerting pressure betweensaid fixed and movable cross-heads, substantially as described.

6. The combination with fixed and movable cross-heads, of doubletoggle-joints connecting said cross-heads, of the hydraulic cylindersconnected to said toggle-joints, pistons fitted respectively to eachcylinder, a piston-rod rigidly connected to said pistons, stop-rodsthreaded in the heads of said cylinders to limit the movement of saidpistons, and means for supplying hydraulic pressure to said cylinders,substantially as described.

'7. The combination with operating-table, of supporting-blocks mountedon said operating-table, of the independently horizontally movablecarriage, havingmeans to engage said table when said carriage isvertically raised, a fixed cross-head carried by said carriage over saidoperating-table, a movable cross-head having a press-block operatingabove said operating-table, double-togglejoint connections between saidcross-heads, hydraulic cylinders engaging with said toggle-jointconnections, connected pistons operating Within said cylinders, wherebyforce is applied to operate said toggle-joint and press-block,substantially as described.

8. In a pipe-straightening machine, the combination with the lathemechanism of the supporting-car 13 having the blocks 11, 12, on whichthe pipe rests, the press-supporting carriage 21, independently,horizontally movable and extending beneath said car 13, supporting-rods31, 32, the fixed cross-head 30 mounted thereon, the movable cross-head36 slidable on said rods, the double toggle-joints connecting saidcross-heads, the hydraulic cylinders 48, 51 connected with said doubletoggle-joint, the piston-rod 78, pistons mounted rigidly to saidcylinders respectively, and flexible hydraulic connections with saidcylinders, substantially as described.

Signed by me at Worcester, Massachusetts, this 6th day of June,'1900.

GEORGE I. ALDEN.

Witnesses:

MILTON P. HIGGINS, Amos 0. HIGGINS.

